The July 23 Revolution and pacts (12), Arab League falling asunder. It was indeed a turbulent time for the Arab League which had been established in 1945 to foster Arab unity and enhance common Arab action, not only on the political arena but also in all other fields. The very existence of the League was facing grave threats. Echoing this state of affairs, The Egyptian Gazette of February 21, 1955 published a report headlined: Prince Faisal on Arab League Survival The Gazette report said: “Prince Feisal, the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, left Cairo yesterday for Jeddah by special aircraft. He was seen off at Cairo International Airport by Prime Minister Gamal Abdul Nasser, members of the Arab diplomatic corps and many leading Arab notabilities. “In a press interview before his departure, Prince Feisal declared that the survival of the Arab League would depend on the situation of the Arab countries themselves. If the member states were keen to ensure its survival, they should seriously continue to co-operate with one another. I still hope, he added, that Iraq will, even at the last moment, abandon her determination to sign a pact with Turkey.” “Answering a question as to whether Saudi Arabia and Egypt agreed upon the questions to be discussed by Major Salah Salem (Egyptian Minister of National Guidance) in Beirut, Prince Feisal said that there was complete agreement between Saudi Arabia and Egypt on everything. “Answering another question as to whether the messages exchanged between Prime Minister Gamal Abdul Nasser and the Lebanese president were for the welfare of the Arabs, Prince Feisal said that he believed President Camille Shamoun was anxious to safeguard the interests of the Arabs. “Replying to other questions, the Saudi Arabian Prime Minister declared that the question of a unified Arab army would be the subject of discussion in the next few days between the Arab countries. “It was also disclosed by the Prince that Saudi Arabia would participate in the Asian-African Conference to be held in Bandung, but the Saudi Arabian representative had not yet been nominated.” [email protected]
